It Is Up To Me…the ten most powerful two letter words ever uttered. Follow that with the immortal words of one of our country’s most prominent statesmen, who understood that concept well:
“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country”….John F. Kennedy.
How have we become so blind that we cannot see the obvious truth in JFK’s challenge? We look for others to solve our problems…yet we all know in our hearts…in our minds…during the times when we gaze into the deep abyss…desperately searching for solutions….that only we can solve our problems….and, by extrapolation, the larger problems of society will be solved.
We cannot legislate human behavior. People have been behaving badly since the dawn of time….and will continue to do so until time expires. We, as a people, are inherently flawed…broken. JFK was broken. I am broken. You are broken. Only grace…acceptance…mercy…can apply a salve to our brokenness…
Problems are solved by caring for others over self….not by being selfish. Problems are solved by adherence to the universal laws of time infinite…not by more man made laws of this specific time and place. Problems are solved by being compassionate…not by being intolerant and tyrannous. …is this not self-evident?
Discrimination will always be alive and well within the human condition. Whenever two factions “think differently” from one another, there is a divide…..a division of thought….of how things should be. But what gives one side the right to decide how things should be? Is one right and the other wrong? How absurd is that? We can think how we choose to think…but we have no jurisdiction over the thoughts of others.
The emotion of anger seems to be thick in the air. We are angry because others don’t think how we think…so we take a side….defend that side in deed and verse. Anger in and of itself can be productive if channeled towards producing compassionate solutions to pressing problems. However, should we choose to be angry, we should consider directing that anger inward…towards our own myopic view of the world…not towards others….not towards the other “party”….the other “race”…the other “religion”…not towards the personal choices of others…
Problems do not vanish of their own accord…never have…never will. But no politician…no government…no mountain of legislation…is ever going to remedy our problems. That path is deemed for failure. Rather than look outward for a solution, let us look in the mirror.
Human behavior cannot be legislated….if it is to be, it is up to me…what other choice do we have?